Ancient + Brave x Laura Rubin: The Art of Journaling for Mental Wellbeing

Discover the art of journaling for mental and emotional wellbeing as Laura Rubin, journaling expert and author of The Big Unlock, shares tips for returning to yourself.

We partnered with Laura on the LA stop of her book tour at the Santa Monica Proper Hotel. It was a night of micro-journaling sessions, Creatini mocktails, and a special conversation between Laura and Kelly Atterton (Beauty director and co-founder).

Laura sat down with us after for a thoughtful Q&A, sharing how journaling can help counterbalance modern overwhelm, deepen self-connection, and become a daily grounding ritual for balance and resilience. She also offers expert prompts idea for those just beginning their journaling journey:

Photo by Trina Yin

Your work invites people to slow down and tune inward. What first inspired your approach to journaling as a daily ritual?

LR: I started journaling when I was a single digit, just 7 years old, and haven’t stopped since. It’s how I’ve made major life decisions, worked on ideas, planned for the future, and taken good care of myself along the way. It’s always been fairly intuitive for me, a tool I came to trust and rely on.

About a decade ago, I began to realize that journaling had a significant PR problem. It was seen as something precious or overly introspective, often associated with teen angst scribblings and cringe poetry. When in reality, it’s incredibly practical and effective. I wanted to shift the perception of what it means to come to the page, championing pen-to-paper as a legitimate, science-backed modality for mental, emotional and physiological well-being.

Your book, The Big Unlock, centers on unlocking what’s beneath the surface. What are we often not allowing ourselves to access in our day-to-day lives?

LR: We’re often moving too quickly through time and space to access our internal wellspring of intelligence. We override our intuition, optimize with wearable technology, we skip past discomfort, and defer to the current firehose of wellness advice. This near-constant state of distraction feels like a viable lifestyle choice.

But underneath all of that, there’s tremendous clarity and vision. Invoking your creativity via pen to paper is one of the reliable ways you can access all that good stuff.

Photo by Trina Yin

How can you see journaling helping to counterbalance overwhelm in modern times?

LR: We’re living in a near-constant state of react-and-respond. From the first moment we glance at these brilliant technological devices each morning, we’re engaging with information, expectations, and directives that hijack our attention. Journaling interrupts that cycle, allowing us to easily and readily reclaim our awareness. Even a few minutes of intentional writing can create a palpable shift. You move from reactivity into autonomous thought, and that impacts how you show up for everything else.

Can writing become a form of nourishment, supporting mental, emotional and physical well-being?

LR: Journaling is often associated with processing difficulty, but it can also cultivate joy, calm, and optimism.

Even writing about a positive memory can create a physiological shift. The body responds to what we imagine. By directing attention toward what feels grounding or meaningful, we create a real sense of nourishment.

At its core, Ancient + Brave is about creating intentional daily rituals to nourish brave lives. Where do you see journaling fitting into a modern wellness routine?

LR: While writing on paper is an ancient practice, it’s also an incredibly timely one. Journaling doesn’t require a perfect, cloistered environment or even a long stretch of time. You can do it anywhere, almost any time, which makes it highly compatible with our chronically time-poor, distracted days.

How to journal for self-connection: Beginner tips and prompts

How can someone new to journaling commit to a consistent journaling practice? 

LR: I try to meet people where they are, neurologically and culturally. A gentle on-ramp for people who want to journal but don’t know where to start is what I call 4x4x4, or the “microdose method”:

• Journal for four minutes a day
• Do it four days a week
• Stick with it for four consecutive weeks

Four minutes a few days a week is an attainable goal, which provides a sense of accomplishment and a welcome hit of dopamine. Over time you’re building muscle memory, which helps evolve into a sustainable journaling practice.

What role does consistency play versus intuition?

LR: Consistency creates the container. Intuition keeps it alive.

Without consistency, the practice doesn’t take root. Without intuition, it can feel rigid. The balance is showing up regularly while allowing each session to meet you where you are.

Many people feel pressure for journaling to be profound or structured. How would you reframe the practice for someone just starting out?

LR: I would encourage them to lower the stakes dramatically. Write badly. Write briefly. Write anywhere. And do it for just a few minutes if that’s all you can fit into your day.

My approach to mindful writing is deliberately not prescriptive. My intention is to empower the individual with prompts, tools and education, then let them choose which activities they want to invoke on any given day. It’s like having a wardrobe full of journaling options. Some days you might want calming, cozy cashmere. On other days you may want to feel polished and powerful so you put on a structured suit.

Can you share a favorite journaling prompt?

LR: “Write a letter from your body to yourself. What does it want to say?”

It might express gratitude, ask for rest, or invite more play. Writing from the body opens a different channel of awareness.

grounding or meaningful, we create a real sense of nourishment.

Morning vs. evening journaling: do they serve different purposes?

LR: They can.

Morning journaling helps clear mental clutter and set a tone for the day. Evening journaling supports reflection and integration.

A simple evening practice I often suggest is a “done list” –  noting how you showed up for yourself that day. It creates a sense of closure and acknowledgment.

What role does consistency play versus intuition?

LR: Consistency creates the container. Intuition keeps it alive.

Without consistency, the practice doesn’t take root. Without intuition, it can feel rigid. The balance is showing up regularly while allowing each session to meet you where you are.

Photo by Alex

Discover Ancient + Brave rituals to support your journaling practice

Which Ancient + Brave products do you pair with your journaling ritual?

LR: It depends on the time of day.

In the morning, I enjoy matcha with True Collagen  alongside writing. On weekends, I pair journaling with movement and add True Creatine and True Hydrate to support energy and focus.

In the evening, journaling alongside a calming ritual like Nightcap can help support a more intentional wind-down.

What does it mean to you to live bravely?

LR: To me, living bravely is about being open to curiosity and trusting it enough to follow where it leads.

What we often perceive as safety can actually be stagnation. Bravery is choosing to engage with your own life as a creative act.

'At its core, journaling is a return to self' - Laura Rubin

Our Closing Reflections 

In a culture that often prioritizes speed, output, and external validation, putting pen to paper creates space. A moment to listen. To process. To let clarity emerge.

As Laura reminds us, it doesn’t have to be perfect or profound to be meaningful. It simply has to be practiced.

And perhaps that’s where living bravely begins, not in doing more, but in learning to pause long enough to hear yourself again.